Description of Historic Place

Gabe's Bunkhouse is a large gable-roofed house prominently located on the west side of 5th Street SE near 4th Avenue SE in Salmon Arm, British Columbia.

Heritage Value

Gabe’s Bunkhouse, also known as Skelton House, is significant for its aesthetic, social, cultural and historical importance.

Gabe's Bunkhouse is physically important for its adaptation to its changed address and approach. Originally built for local merchant R. B. Matthews in 1912, the reverse plan reveals that the house was initially approached from Peters Street (now 4th Street) before there was a 5th Street. The property's eastern boundary (now 5th Street) was once the western edge of the farmland. An early Lingford photograph shows a farm's west and south boundaries on what are now the road alignments for 5th Street SE and 4th Avenue. The property is now an important marker showing the early growth of the city.

The house is culturally significant due to its unusually large size, an indicator of well-to-do middle class families in this area in the early years. The unusual form and materials, including the concrete block wall construction, are an example of a particular local builder's practice, and are thought to be rare in the province.

The house is also important in the social history of the town. The second known owner, Bob Skelton, was manager of the Salmon Arm Co-operative Creamery and served as city mayor. During the 1970's the house gained even greater fame as "Gabe’s Bunkhouse." This boarding house was something of a legend for its excellent and generously-proportioned meals, which were served to the public as well as to its residents.

Source: City of Salmon Arm, Development Services Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of Gabe's Bunkhouse include its:

Site:
- unusual location at the L-shaped intersection of 2nd Avenue SE and 4th Street SE
- mature evergreen plantings on 4th Street side of the house (the original front yard)

Building:
- gable-roofed form, with bell cast eaves
- two gable-roofed dormers (one at the front, one at the back) located mid-length on main roof, each with same bell cast eave details as found on main gable
- original or replicated trim detail
- concrete block wall construction